Pick Freely

Seeing that it was already late, Ye Luochen decided not to head to the classroom.

Furthermore, given his current situation, there was truly no need for him to continue attending classes.

As for the foundational knowledge of soul tools, the several soul masters Jing Hongchen had assigned to him had already imparted everything.

As for higher-level concepts, he had now taken Xuan Ziwen as his master.

Therefore, all things considered, it was better to spend more of his energy in Mingde Hall.

Thinking of this, he tidied up, grabbed a quick bite at the cafeteria, and headed straight for Mingde Hall.

However, just as he stepped through the gates of Mingde Hall, he happened to run into a teacher coming the other way.

"Ye Luochen? You've come at the perfect time; I was just about to go looking for you."

Ye Luochen was very familiar with this person; he was the one who always delivered notifications whenever there was business in Mingde Hall, and he was also responsible for delivering the two ninth-level soul tools to Ye Luochen yesterday.

"May I ask what the matter is?"

Ye Luochen asked, feeling somewhat puzzled.

The soul-hunting mission had already concluded, and his studies at Mingde Hall were being guided by Xuan Ziwen. At this point in time, what else could they possibly need him for?

"You'll know when you get there. Tsk tsk, the Hall Master has really put his heart into this for you."

The man waved his hand and gestured for Ye Luochen to follow.

Although confused, Ye Luochen followed obediently.

Venturing deep inside, the two arrived at an area that was completely unfamiliar to Ye Luochen.

Before they could even enter, several roars echoed from within.

Roar!

Roar!

The roars rose and fell in succession.

"This... what is this?"

Ye Luochen was slightly taken aback.

Judging by the sounds, they didn't seem like anything a human could produce; they sounded more like the roars of beasts.

But what kind of place was this?

This was Mingde Hall, an absolute core zone protected by layers of security that ordinary people could never penetrate.

How could there be wild beasts here?

"Go in and see for yourself. The Hall Master has prepared a grand gift for you."

Listening to the man's words and combining them with the roars coming from behind the door, Ye Luochen suddenly realized something.

A Fourth Soul Ring.

Because the recent soul-hunting mission had ended in failure, Jing Hongchen had promised him that he would personally take action to find a suitable soul beast for him.

Ye Luochen did not doubt the sincerity of those words in the slightest.

Through his interactions over this period, he could tell that Jing Hongchen was truly willing to invest resources in him.

The various promises made previously had all been essentially fulfilled.

However, Ye Luochen had thought that the matter of the soul ring would take some time.

After all, Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen were still bedridden, and Jing Hongchen's focus would surely be on them during this time.

To think that only a day had passed, and everything was already prepared?

Such speed truly far exceeded his expectations.

But the problem was, he hadn't been involved in the process at all. With the person concerned absent, could the soul beasts they found really be compatible?

Carrying his confusion, the heavy doors opened.

What came into view was an extremely spacious hall, in which several massive metal cages were placed.

Inside the metal cages, various soul beasts of different shapes and sizes were struggling and roaring incessantly.

Nearby, there were also large basins containing massive plants with branches that were constantly swaying—evidently, they were some form of plant-type soul beasts.

"This... what is this?"

The scene before him truly exceeded Ye Luochen's expectations.

It was vastly different from what he had imagined.

"You're here?"

A voice rang out as Jing Hongchen appeared and explained:

"I said yesterday that I would personally obtain your Fourth Soul Ring, but since I didn't know exactly what you required, I caught a few extra soul beasts."

"From thousand-year to ten-thousand-year, from plant-type to animal-type, they are all here. Take a look and see if any are suitable."

"If not, I will—"

Before Jing Hongchen could finish speaking, Ye Luochen hurriedly waved his hands and then cupped his fists in a salute.

"No, no, no, that's enough, this is definitely enough. Luochen thanks the Hall Master for his great kindness!"

The situation before him had completely exceeded his expectations.

The Hall Master of Mingde Hall had personally taken action, capturing a large batch of soul beasts and bringing them back to Mingde Hall for him to choose from as his Fourth Soul Ring.

If this matter were to spread, it would absolutely cause a sensation in the academy, the empire, and even the entire continent.

What an honor and what great favor this was!

Setting aside the quality of these soul beasts for a moment, even if they truly weren't suitable, he couldn't possibly say so.

This kind of face-saving gesture could absolutely not be refused.

Suppressing the emotions in his heart, at Jing Hongchen's signal, Ye Luochen cast his gaze toward the rows of metal cages before him.

And he didn't realize it until he looked, but once he did, he discovered that his previous worries were completely unnecessary.

There were nearly ten cages in total, and every single soul beast, without exception, possessed sharp attributes.

Blade-Tooth Mantis, Sharp-Beak Bird, Iron-Armor Rhino, Thorn Vine...

Whether animal or plant, picking any one of them would be absolutely compatible with Ye Luochen's martial soul.

Not only that, but there were six-thousand-year, seven-thousand-year, eight-thousand-year, nine-thousand-year, ten-thousand-year, twelve-thousand-year, and even a twenty-thousand-year soul beast.

In terms of cultivation age, they covered the entire spectrum.

He finally understood why the teacher who had come to notify him when he first entered Mingde Hall had said, "The Hall Master has been very attentive to you."

This couldn't even be described simply by the word "attentive."

It was truly enough to make one feel flattered.

"Hall Master, this... you have gone to too much trouble!"

Ye Luochen came back to his senses and hurriedly bowed to thank Jing Hongchen.

If the two previous ninth-grade soul guidance devices could barely be explained as compensation—after all, he had nearly lost his life despite having an instructor leading the team—then what was before him had absolutely far exceeded the concept of "compensation."

Capturing so many soul beasts alive was no small feat.

Moreover, they were all carefully selected and extremely compatible with him, which made the difficulty skyrocket.

"It's nothing, just a bit of effort."

Jing Hongchen smiled and waved his hand.

"Alright, take a look for yourself and see which one is the most suitable. Each cage is equipped with a trigger-style Soul Guidance Cannon; just press the button to kill the soul beast inside."

Hearing this, Ye Luochen thanked him repeatedly again.

However, thanks were thanks, but Ye Luochen knew very well in his heart that after absorbing the soul ring, he would likely be completely tied to Mingde Hall.

Having accepted so many favors, even if they hadn't been on the same boat before, they should be now.

However, Ye Luochen did not feel any resentment toward this.

A gentleman judges by actions, not intentions; regardless of what plans or schemes the other party might have, the various favors and resources were undeniably real.

What's more, right from the beginning, Jing Hongchen had told him straightforwardly that Mingde Hall would place a heavy bet on him, and naturally, they hoped he would demonstrate corresponding value.

Since that was the case, he would accept it magnanimously.